UPDATE: Fire at Four Winds Industrial Estate, Clophill

This aerial picture shows the extent of damage caused following a serious fire which broke out at an industrial estate in Clophill last night (May 26).

The A6 remains closed and firefighters will be at the scene throughout the afternoon.

At the height of the fire up to 2,000 litres of water a minute were being used to bring the fire under control overnight.

Residents in homes on the site had either left their homes or were evacuated by fire crews to a safe distance. Firefighters successfully fought to protect these homes

from the blaze and vehicles on the site were removed on to the A6 to get them clear of the fire.

Firefighters battled to contain the fire and prevent the blaze spreading to both the petrol station and the domestic properties on and around the

site where a number of hazards including vehicle fuels and industrial cylinders were identified.

The severe heat affected the steel structure of the warehouses causing a risk of potential collapse, with crews using the Service’s two Aerial Platforms and several ground monitor jets to minimise risk.

Service Operational Commander, Andy Peckham, said: “One of our primary objectives was to prevent the fire spreading to the homes on the site and we have

been successful in protecting them. By daybreak we had the fire under control, and because of the risk to firefighters from potential collapse of the structure we arecurrently fighting the fire from the outside.

“The size of the buildings and the variety of the products contained within them hasmeant that large areas within the centre of the structure will be difficult to extinguish,

however a large number of firefighters remain at the incident and are working theirway around the area to provide the most effective application of water onto the fire.

“We have been working with colleagues from the Environment Agency and UK Power Networks to manage some of the hazards to firefighting that were identified

Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire, from East of England Ambulance Service and the Police and Environment Agency and I’d like to thank

them for their continuing support. Everyone has worked hard through the night and will continue to work through today to deal with this serious incident.

“In the next few days we will be investigating the cause of the fire using our Fire Investigation Protocol established by our recent Memorandum of Understanding between ourselves, Cambridge and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Services and the Police.”

The incident is likely to continue throughout the day and people are asked to avoid the area.